# Dying Hair Red - Anyone Had Success?



## Leadfoot (Jan 1, 2008)

I am contemplating having my brown hair dyed red. I absolutely LOVE red hair, but have heard that's it's very hard to keep it from fading. Anyone had success and if so what's your secret?


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## Saja (Jan 1, 2008)

Freaky...I just changed my msn name to, "I wanna Dye my hair Red". I havent had much success in the past....ut the most important part is to use pro dye, it definitly lasts longer then store stuff.


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## Aquilah (Jan 1, 2008)

Red is very hard to keep! It does fade fast, and IMHO, it has issues with wanting to stick. I used to constantly dye my hair red until I realized it wasn't worth the constant hassle. I would recommend going to a pro for a consultation at first to see what options you have.


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## Orangeeyecrayon (Jan 1, 2008)

if you are going to go red go with perminent, not any of the semi perminent stuff, cause that stuff fades so fast that you will have a weird brown color in like a week.

also try to shampoo your hair less often cause it tends to strip the color from your hair in addition to the dirt in your hair.

astly i would suggest getting a color brightnig shamppo that deposits color in your hair. Shimmer lights i think makes one with a red base (sold at sally's beauty suply) and john frieda makes some stuff but that tends to make your hair look a weird color.

Also make sure your shampoo is specificly for either colored hair or for dry hair. (shampoo for dry hair does not strip your hair as much)


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## justdragmedown (Jan 2, 2008)

i dyed my hair a dark red purple color and it stayed in there fine.


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## miss_apple_tart (Jan 4, 2008)

I have dyed my brown hair red since I was 18 (I am 27 now) and I have had great success. It does fade but if you stick to a red shade that is just a couple shades near your natural shade then it doesn't look awful when it does fade. You have to keep up with it though like you would with any other color when dying your hair and use a color safe shampoo.


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## speedy (Jan 5, 2008)

I dyed my hair red for years, and loved it, but it does fade quickly. However when it fades it doesn't look that bad, it's just not as vibrant.


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## magneticheart (Jan 5, 2008)

i have naturally brown hair and i dye mine red (well i go to a hairdresser) and it's worked ok for me! i think salon dye is always going to stay in better than home dyes so maybe you should get your hair dyed at a hairdresser first and then if you like it you could try home dyes if you wanted to. when i first got my hair dyed it didn't really fade it just lost its brightness and someone told me that it would help if i didn't wash my hair as often so now i wash my hair every other day rather than every day. i also use a shampoo and conditioner for red hair and i get my hair coloured every few months and my colour hasn't faded. hope i helped!


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## enyadoresme (Jan 5, 2008)

i had success!

what i did was dye it over blonde hair

after i use a 2-in-1 shampoos and conditioner

a few weeks later i use a RED hair rinse to keep the color in

and use the 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner


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## MACmaniac (Jan 5, 2008)

I agree with everyone else! Go to a pro, use color depositing shampoo and don't wash every day and you will be fine! I love red head too ( I wanna go Keyshia Cole red ) and make sure you put up pics! =)


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## Paramour_Sheek (Jan 5, 2008)

I've had my hair dyed red for about two years now... Mind you, I mean bright red, and my hair is naturally quite light and course, so it holds dye well.

I didn't find it faded too badly, actually, I would have to re-dye every 6-8 weeks, which isn't ideal, but a good dye and an intensive conditioning regime kept my hair healthy.

I did mine at home, but I dye my hair a lot, so I couldn't afford a pro! But if you can, then I'm pretty sure it's a good idea.


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## shoegal1980 (Jan 6, 2008)

I used to dye my hair red as well. For me, it seemed to last, but I used John Frieda Radiant Red conditioner, it has deposits of red dye in it, that seemed to help a ton!


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## KristinB (Jan 6, 2008)

Mine fades no matter what I do. I have been dying it a shade darker than I live so it fades to the color I want.


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## Xuity (Jan 7, 2008)

Well, I was able to have my hair really red, like this:






For doing it, I used a dye named Contrasti Alfaparf. But, the main problem is that it seems that this is no longer available around.

And also, along the time and root retouches, it seems to dry the hair making it look like dolls hair.


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## Retro-Violet (Jan 7, 2008)

color safe shampoo and conditioner, ummmm shampoo like every other day.

i dyed my hair red (by red i mean stop-light red) and it still faded really quickly no matter what i did.


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## alexxx! (Jan 7, 2008)

i have natural red hair and don't really care for it. you can just have mine


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## Xuity (Jan 7, 2008)

A good thing to keep the hair red is using fantasy dyeing like Jeans Color and similars.


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## mama-mia99 (Jan 8, 2008)

I died my brown hair red a few times. Of all the dyes that I used, Garnier 100% lasted forever! It looked great month after month. And the color was beautiful!


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## makeup_obsessed (Jan 8, 2008)

I have always loved red hair, and dye my hair red all the time. The best at home dye I have found is Loreal Natural Match. I use 5R. It is close to my natural color, only with a reddish tinge. It is NOT bold red, it is almost like I said, tinged red, so in the sun it shimmers red. It doesnt fade (like alot of the BOLD reds), and the dye was gentle on my hair. I will deffinatly dye it again with that brand.


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## LittleMissLilo (Jan 8, 2008)

I had my hair dyed red for a while too. Its really hard to keep, but if you are willing and ready then it'll definitely work out. I had to use red towels because your hair fades when you wash it and then stains everything else you use to wipe your wet hair with. My hairstylist also suggested I wash my hair every other day or two days to keep the color last longer. Also I used red shampoo and conditioner specialized for red hair. It helped keep the shine natural and the color in. You can buy red shampoo by BUMBLE and BUMBLE it is GODSEND shampoo and my hg. Once you dye it red tho its really hard to strip the color out and dye it another color once you get tired of it. I went from Red to black and sometimes I have to dye my hair every few months to get rid of the red. Hope it helps! Anyways, good luck to you if you do decide to dye your hair red. I think its gorgeous and I miss it! =]


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## fawp (Jan 8, 2008)

I like to keep my hair a dark, reddish brown and I've found the best method is to dye it every three to six weeks (depending on my schedule and how I feel about my current color). I just buy a home color kit and keep it up myself at home. It works really well for me and it's relatively inexpensive...I spend less on at-home color every year than I would spend on one salon dye job. Hope this helps...


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## rejectstar (Jan 8, 2008)

I'll be doing my hair red really soon, but I have some henna that I'm going to use. It's natural, a powdered plant that produces a red dye molecule when mixed with something slightly acidic. You need to leave it on for several hours, and apparently it's really messy... but I vowed a year ago that I'd never use chemical dye on my hair again. And I want red hair, so this is my solution, LOL.

Henna actually coats the hair smoothly, as opposed to chemical dye which lifts up the cuticle of the hair to deposit it directly in the hair shaft. After dyeing chemically, the cuticle usually won't ever go back to it's original state and that's where you get the frizzy, dry damaged look from over time.

Henna is apparently really good for your hair and makes it shiny and smooth, so you can use it as often as you want and your hair won't ever be damaged... it actually ends up healthier! Multiple applications help make the colour darker and richer, and it won't fade much, if at all. But yeah... I'm going to try it soon and I'll update on how it worked for me. It'll be quite labour intensive, but for me it's worth it, since I'm all about natural stuff!


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## Xuity (Jan 9, 2008)

The problem is that Henna contains Plumb and it's highly prejudicial for the hair. The red color just won't go out either if you try to bleach your hair, neither if you try to cover it with another color. There's a risk of breaking your hair into pieces.


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## Micki2984 (Jan 11, 2008)

I have been using henna for years. Its great, really good for your hair, and gives you a good strong red that is slower to fade than normal dye (I have used both) it also gives you an awesome glow in the sun. I am not sure what "plumb" is, but good quality henna only contains henna. No good getting henna based, many still have ammonia or peroxide. I only need to re henna when i have roots showing, but I do more often as i love the deep condition it gives, though at first it can occasionally give you a temporary slight dry feeling. A good condition with hair oil fixes that straight away. It is a fallacy that you cant remove it. Bleach will eventually remove anything, although as it sticks fairly well, you may dry your hair. i thought i might like to return to blonde from henna, and I did, but my hair was dry, and then i decided the deep rich red was better. 2 henna treatments later and my hair is healthy again. You can get so many colours that you really dont have to only henna red, you can get brown as well as clear if you don't want the colour but want to condition. Think of it as a kind of "boot polish" layer over your hair. It will never have been so shiny.....


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## beaglette (Jan 12, 2008)

Originally Posted by *Xuity* /img/forum/go_quote.gif The problem is that Henna contains Plumb and it's highly prejudicial for the hair. The red color just won't go out either if you try to bleach your hair, neither if you try to cover it with another color. There's a risk of breaking your hair into pieces. That is only the henna sold in retail outlets and that is due to the metallic salts in the dye. Use that over color and your hair is apt to turn green!
You *must* use a body art quality henna. You can read about it here: http://www.hennaforhair.com/faq/index.html (this is not my site-- I just found out allll about it there and buy my henna from her-- dirt cheap!)

It *is* messy. And it requires some prep. You must mix it with something acidic (lemon juice is what I use) and allow it to sit overnight PRIOR to using it so that the plant dye can come out the the "henna". Unlike when using hair dye from the store or your stylist, your hair must be clean with *NO* product on it. The reason is that it has no chemicals in it to break down the hair product. Hair dye will eat right through a product, hence the reason for not needing clean, dry hair. Also, it needs to be left on a minimum of one hour and longer if you wish for a deeper red. The site above has a HUGE gallery of ranges of colors that people achieve with traditional body art quality henna and with mixing it with various other hennas, like indigo henna, etc. 

I used to use Loreal Preference 5b on my hair and yes, it faded quickly (as reds do!). Most of the time, I use henna and LOVE the color. It lasts FAR longer than traditional dying, including from the salon and is a fraction of the cost. 

Another product to help you keep your color from fading, regardless of the color, is Pureology Shampoo and products. They are quite pricey and I love them HOWEVER, I've recently found a new product that is comparable to the Pureology line and is about 1/3 of the cost. It's called Coloresse and it's at Sally's Beauty Supply. I bought it when it first came out thinking that it sounded a lot like the Pureology line. I went back into Sally's a month later and found them comparing it to that line. It lasts a LONG time, too. I think I paid $7.99 for a bottle of shampoo (not huge- 12 or 16 ounces, perhaps?(Sulfate-free Shampoo) And, this month the products are buy 2 get 1 free. It's my fave shampoo now (and smells good too!)

Let us know what you decide and how it turns out!

Warmly,

beaglette


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## greeneyedangel (Jan 12, 2008)

Originally Posted by *jasilinda* /img/forum/go_quote.gif I died my brown hair red a few times. Of all the dyes that I used, Garnier 100% lasted forever! It looked great month after month. And the color was beautiful! Hey there! I love Garnier products and wanted to do my hair red as well. What shade did you use?


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## Leadfoot (Jan 16, 2008)

Thanks for all of the responses. From what I've read here, Henna seems to be a great way to go if I decide I like my hair red. I'll probably get it dyed red (the "normal way) first and decide if I like it before I'd take the plunge to Henna.

Does anyone know if salons do this? Is it pricey?


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## Trixie24 (Jan 16, 2008)

Thats the funny thing about red. It is the hardest to keep yet at the same time it is the hardest to remove. Due to it's molecular size. I always use a color deposit shampoo to help maintain vibrancy. I love the Artec line... It is available at most high end salons. They can actually concoct a specific color formulation for you at the salon to maintain your color. At least that is what we did when I was a stylist at a high end salon... Years ago. Also always use a thermal protectant when using heat styling tools and a color safe shampoo and conditioner. The porosity of your hair will also determine how well you hold red.

Oh and DO NOT use henna. Henna is a metallic compound and if by chance you color results went haywire a stylist wont do a color correction on your hair. All professional products (haircolor) are alkaline based or acid based. If you mix an alkaline base with a metallic compound you will get a nasty chemical reaction. The color wont take even, it wont remove even, it will be damaged further, etc. Also stay away from sun in... It does the same thing (especially when mixed with bleach and highlift colors). I NEVER recommend anyone to use Henna! There are better options IMO.


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## Micki2984 (Jan 17, 2008)

Just wanted to add that pure henna IS NOT a metallic compound, those are the old fashioned henna based dyes you are thinking of. Pure Henna is a plant. Thats it. No compound. And no reaction, but it IS hard to remove. And many hairdressers know very little about henna, so don't like to touch it, or hair that has been henna'd. Henna is absolutely a commitment to red or red toned hair though, as with all dark colours, to remove or lighten you have to use bleach, which is always damaging. And henna grips hard, so you need more bleach so therefore more damage.


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## JuliannaSophia (Jan 18, 2008)

yeah red is really hard to keep from turning faded. You should wear a sunscreen for hair and/or a hat/scarve over your head. Keep it conditioned also.


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## rayvendawn (Jan 18, 2008)

I never had a problem keeping the red in my hair, after bleaching it usually any color will stay in. I think blue or purple is a harder color to keep imo.


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